Anxious Kitty

by Jessie
(Baltimore, MD)

Hi. I have two cats (see picture below). 1 is a 2.5 year old gray tabby who weighs 15 lbs. The other is a 2 year old orange long haired tabby who weighs 6 lbs. The orange cat is the one that I worry about. Both were rescues. The older one is fine. Roxy (the orange cat) was a rescue. She was found in an abandoned home in Philadelphia with hundreds of other cats. She was underweight when I got her at 3-4 months of age. When I first brought her home she hissed at me in the car and at home. I was so worried about her. So I let her meet my other cat the day I brought her home. They immediately hit it off and she calmed down and stopped hissing. She is now 2 years old but still extremely nervous. She does not hiss. Now she runs, hides, shakes, and breaths heavy whenever someone is loud, someone new is in the home, something outside it loud, someone looks at her, or someone walks towards her. She also does not bathe herself and has huge mats in her hair. Lastly, anytime her food dish is only 1/4 filled, she will meow and meow and meow like she is dying until I put more in the bowl. Once I do that she will eat 1 bite of food and leave. She is the sweetest cat in the world. I have had cats my entire life. This

cat has never done anything wrong, EVER! Which I find to be abnormal. Even when I bathe her and brush her out she will sit still and purr (and I know she does not like to be bathed or brushed). Please help me. I need her to calm down. I worry that the stress in this little cats body will take its toll and eventually cause medical issues. I really do not want that. Please help!


Answer by KAte
Hi
Unfortunately some cats are more nervous than others, this can be for ll sorts of reason, experience, personality etc.

Often cats like this are always a little more nervous and we have to help them cope with it through love and attention.

there are some medications which can help particularly nervous cats but it is not a cure it just helps them to calm down.

i have a page of information about that here

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/scared-cat.html

As for the grooming. long haired cats need help with their grooming anyway to help prevent matts forming in the fur, so its great that she lets you do it. Purring can also mean that the cat is afraid too as it helps them to calm down so this could be why she purrs while you are brushing her. but the more often you do it, the more she should get used to it.

i have a page about grooming long fur too for more information

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-hair.html

best wishes Kate

best wishes Kate

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